The Best Kind of Punishment
by Ozma333
Summary: R/S The best punishments teach us something. After Rose's failed attempt to skive class, she and Scorpius learn some rather valuable lessons during a shared midnight detention. Four-shot, already written.
1. Caught Before Noon

A/N Hello all! This is my Rose/Scorpius attempt. It will be four chapters long and is, as is my custom, already written. So, updates will be quick, but reviews might make them quicker! Enjoy! ~Ozma333

Chapter One

Caught Before Noon

Rose's mind awoke before her body and registered two strong arms holding her as both bodies glided down the hall. A thrill of triumph raced up her spine.

_So it worked then?_

She vaguely registered the taste of chocolate on her tongue, an aftertaste to the second half of the Fainting Fancy that her cousin Albus must have forced her to eat once they reached the safety of the hall. History of Magic was just so boring! And it was a double period. No, she had been right, a double period was far better spent sneaking off to the pitch and getting in a good fly.

Her body was slowly becoming her own again, she could feel her lips twitch, took note of her legs swinging over her cousin's arm, could smell a slightly woodsy aroma emanating from Albus.

_Since when does he wear cologne?_

Rose would have snorted had she the ability to do so and she decided right then that she would as soon as she was able.

Albus shifted her in his arms and grunted.

_If I'm so heavy why doesn't he put me down?_

Rose felt a tingling in her legs and arms and a flutter in her eyelids. Uncle George would have to be told how long it takes to come to after the antidote was given. It wouldn't be so bad if her mind wasn't awake, but this conscious paralysis was just plain annoying.

Albus sniffed and muttered an expletive and suddenly Rose realized…

_This is not Albus._

Rose froze the parts of her body she could control and whoever was carrying her must have noticed her stiffening.

"Are you awake yet?"

His voice was deep and rumbled through his chest as it reached her ears. It was familiar, she noted, though she couldn't quite place to whom it belonged.

"Hmm," he hummed as he shifted her in his arms again and suddenly, Rose became extremely self-conscious.

_My shirt must be ridden up and for Merlin's sake I'm wearing a skirt and my robes are open and what if I'm drooling? Who the hell is this?_

It wasn't a problem to faint into Albus's arms. He was her cousin, he protected her, and he would take care of her. He had already seen her at her best and at her absolute worst. It was quite different to fall into the arms of some, undoubtedly male, stranger.

Rose felt the warm tingling in her chest and upper arms that she recognized as the beginning of her ability to use her muscles once again. She opened her eyes slowly, peeking through her lashes at her savior.

_Oh! Well that's not too bad._

Scorpius Malfoy hadn't seemed to realize that she had awoken and she took the moment to study him. She had really never much to do with him before, though she knew who he was of course. He seemed to always stick to the very edge of society, never truly committing to any group and, now that she thought on it, she couldn't exactly place him within a cluster of friends either.

Though, despite being somewhat socially isolative, he wasn't all that bad to look at.

His skin was tanned which surprised Rose. He didn't play Quidditch, so far as she knew. He most certainly wasn't on the Slytherin team or Rose would have played against him. Yet, he must have some hobby that took him outdoors. His features were chiseled and very fine and it all implanted a vision of aristocracy, though surprisingly, that didn't put Rose off. His hair was a white blond and fell forward into his eyes. She knew he got that from his father, in fact, all in all, she supposed he very much resembled his father. Rose wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that.

He shifted her once again in his arms and glanced down, catching her staring at him. His eyes widened a bit in surprise but that was the only reaction to her waking that splayed across his features. His demeanor was remarkably cool.

"Hi," Rose ventured with a timidity that was unusual for her.

He nodded and stopped just feet shy from the rotating staircase that led towards the Hospital Wing. Rose felt her forehead wrinkle in confusion. She wasn't so used to being completely ignored.

"You could put me down now," Rose said, her voice stronger under the influence of irritation that was now rising.

"Are you sure you're quite well?" Scorpius asked and Rose laughed. His tone of voice was just so formal, considering their circumstances. He frowned at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rose chortled. His frown deepened but he bent to set her on her feet. She toppled immediately into his arms.

"Sorry," she cried out, hating that she could now feel her trademark blush making its' way up her face. "I guess it hasn't worn off my legs yet," Rose muttered, avoiding Scorpius's gaze. His hands had caught her around the waist and Rose was horrified to discover she was right in assuming her shirt had ridden up. Without a word, Scorpius bent and scooped her back up.

"You don't have to carry me," Rose huffed as she was shifted in his arms. "We could just wait a bit until—"

"Sorry, but I don't fancy being caught helping you skive a class."

"I wasn't skiving!" Rose knew that was perfectly not true, but felt a sudden need to defend herself. Scorpius's eyebrows rose in disinterested disbelief and Rose felt herself become unnaturally angry.

"So, it's merely a coincidence that the other half to a Fainting Fancy your cousin shoved into my hand revived you, hmm?" he asked, his tone mild and disinterested. Rose opened her mouth to retort but shut it immediately as the staircase jerked into life. She huffed as she turned her face away, seething.

Scorpius was standing very close to the railing and Rose's eyesight was instinctually drawn down, through a maze of moving staircases and beyond into a dark nothingness that descended far past the ground floor of the castle. Her stomach swirled in a not-so-unfamiliar way and she turned into Scorpius, burying her face into his chest. Her stomach calmed instantly as she breathed him in.

_My, he's warm._

"You're not afraid of heights."

It was a statement more than a question and Rose looked up bashfully from where she had buried herself into his chest. "Actually, I am," she said softly, lowering her eyes.

"But, you play Quidditch," Scorpius said, and Rose noted that he had dropped his disinterested air.

"Hmm, but in Quidditch you have a broom. So long as I have a broom to hold onto, I'm alright. But if I just look over the railing like that… it's so far down…" She spoke into his chest, slightly muffled she knew, but she wasn't going to risk her stomach lurching again.

"I see," Scorpius chuckled, tightening his hold on her.

"It's not really funny," Rose countered, registering the fact that he was walking again and realizing she could look up. Scorpius was smirking, though staring straight ahead. "It's really not!"

He nodded before looking down at her, a grin still playing on his lips and Rose was suddenly struck by his eyes.

_Blue, they're blue. _

Somehow she had always thought them to be colder, grey perhaps.

"I just never knew you had a flaw," he said smoothly, still fighting a smile.

"It's not a flaw!" Rose said hotly, somehow supremely offended that he believed such a common fear a _flaw_.

"I see," he returned once again in an annoying fashion.

"It's not!" Rose huffed, glaring up at him. "And you can put me down now," she said through clenched teeth, wiggling a bit to emphasis her point.

"Not worth the risk, we're almost there."

"Where?" Rose asked, grunting a bit a she sulked.

"The Hospital Wing. That's where I was instructed to take you," Scorpius said, his tone as even as before.

"Ah no! Not there, please?" Rose begged. "You know there's nothing wrong with me and Poppy will just fuss and, you know what? Albus and I were going to go for a fly. How about we do that? Or, are you hungry? We could nick some food from the kitchens."

"No, I think not."

"Oh, come on Malfoy don't be such a—"

"Scorpius," he interrupted, his mouth set in a hard line and his jaw working.

"Hmm?" Rose looked up at him.

"My name is Scorpius."

"I know it is," Rose offered, confused. "Scorpius Malfoy."

"Right," he said, seeming supremely aggravated. He bent to place Rose on her feet and she stood, wavering slightly.

"Where are you going?" Rose asked as Scorpius turned away from her.

"Back to class, I think you can handle it from here."

"Back to… Why?" Rose asked, shaking her head.

"Because some of us actually need to take notes to score Outstanding on our tests. You may not be one of those people but I mostly certainly am."

"One Exceeds Expectations won't ruin you!" Rose snorted, she was well aware of Scorpius's academic achievements, having tied him often in their shared classes. Scorpius turned, regarding her coolly before nodding and turning back down the hall.

"What a ponce," Rose muttered, scuffing her toe. She must have said it too loudly because she noted Scorpius's back stiffen as he turned to face her. His mouth was set in a hard line and he was breathing heavily, but his _eyes_, his eyes looked almost deadened.

"I am not a ponce!" he shouted, staring her down. "Just because you are nothing but a—"

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, what are you doing?"

_Ah no! Neville._

"I was attempting to escort Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing," Scorpius said, pulling his shoulders back as his cold demeanor overtook his features once more. Neville raised his eyebrows as he approached the pair.

"Miss Weasley seems just fine now," he said, eyeing Rose. "Not another Skiving Snackbox, Rose?"

Rose's jaw fell open. "What? No, of course not, Professor."

"And lying to me too, Rose? Haven't I known you since you were in nappies, is this what it's come to?"

Rose flushed, not only at been caught lying but by Neville's mention of her in nappies.

"I shall expect you both at Greenhouse Four tonight for detention."

Rose's face fell and Scorpius sputtered. "Both? But I wasn't skiving!" he countered furiously. "She fainted and I was helping her to the Hospital Wing. Professor Binns even—"

"Helping a student leave the classroom under false pretenses is wrong, no matter the reason, Mr. Malfoy," Neville interrupted, staring down at Scorpius. "If you knew she was faking you should have turned back around to your class or actually taken her to the Hospital Wing. Here I find you both arguing, and quite loudly, in the middle of the hallway."

"But Professor—" Scorpius cut off as Neville shook his head.

"You're both to be there and," he paused, looking over at Rose. "I'm disappointed in you Rose."

Rose looked to her shoes, feeling as though she had just been punched in the stomach. The detention she didn't mind, it wasn't exactly her first, and it would have even been okay if Neville yelled, but _disappointed_… She hated it when the adults used that one on her.

"Thanks a lot," Scorpius said through clenched teeth as they both turned to follow Neville back to class.

"Sorry, but it isn't all my fault, you know," Rose said. "You didn't have to leave me there!"

"You wanted me to knick food—"

"_And_, you didn't have to yell so loudly."

"You called me a ponce!"

"You are a ponce!"

"Enough!" Neville said sternly, turning to fix them both with a glare as they neared the staircase. Rose looked warily past him to the rotating steps and she shuffled closer to Professor Longbottom as he ushered them both unto the staircase.

Professor Longbottom didn't say another word during the walk back, though he did put his hand on Rose's shoulder as the stairs jerked into action to steady her, for which Rose was grateful. She hoped Scorpius hadn't noticed the slight tremble to her gait as she alighted.

As they neared Binn's classroom Rose found herself wanting to say something but instead inhaled sharply through her nose and pushed her way forward into the classroom. Scorpius wisely clamped his mouth shut as well and clenched his teeth. Professor Binn's didn't even pause as Rose stormed to her seat, shooting Albus a 'don't ask' look.

_A whole detention to serve with that tosser. Great!_

~*~

Scorpius grit his teeth as he took his seat near Rose.

_What a stuck-up bitch!_

Scorpius was fuming, so much so that he entirely forgot to take notes.

_Wasn't her fault indeed! It was entirely her fault!_

Scorpius hadn't felt this angry for quite some time. And for a Malfoy at Hogwarts, that was saying something. Hardly a day went by that he wasn't ridiculed, bullied, or shouted at. Though, growing a few inches over the summer had helped a bit with that.

It was just terrible his first year, when he had been not just some scrawny kid, but a scrawny kid with the last name of Malfoy. Apparently, that made all the difference.

Most ex-Death Eaters had chosen not to send their children to Hogwarts, chosen to shield them from what would undoubtedly be their fate there. Draco Malfoy did not believe that would be for the best. Though, Scorpius was unsure if that was for his benefit or the benefit of the Malfoy name. It had not taken Scorpius long to understand that he was the only chance the Malfoy name had. Draco was practically shunned from society and Scorpius's grandparents were completely despised.

"Though that is for good reason," Scorpius thought ruefully, stabbing his quill into his inkwell and scowling.

His first year at Hogwarts had been an absolute nightmare. The bullying was all rather subtle at first. A trip jinx here, a misplaced hex there, and, at first, Scorpius actually believed himself to be clumsy and unlucky.

But, then the threats came, then the name-calling, then the Muggle dueling. Scorpius actually ended up spending most of his first year in the Hospital Wing being tended for his many 'accidents.'

Of course, his father had warned him. The night before he left for school, his father had tucked him into bed, something he hadn't done for many years, and spoke to him with tears in his eyes.

"I made a lot of mistakes, Scorpius. Mistakes for which I'm afraid you may have to pay. But, remember son, you are more than just a Malfoy. You are smart and kind and I'm proud of you."

It would be several weeks before Scorpius truly understood what his father had said to him. A large fifth year walked right up to Scorpius, looked him right in the eye and said, "You're grandfather killed my father's brother."

Scorpius wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to respond to that. He was not his grandfather. The fifth year walked straight past him, knocking him hard with her shoulder. That was one of the mild encounters.

Each year progressed much like the last. Scorpius had not made very many friends. He had tried at first, but ultimately, anyone who came near Scorpius was subjected to the same treatment he received and had decided his friendship was just not worth it. He couldn't even retreat into the familiar vestiges of the Slytherin House. Everything had changed the year Roxanne Weasley was accepted into the infamous house two years before him. Suddenly, Slytherins were known far better for their cunning and thirst to prove themselves and much less for their historic involvement in both Wizarding Wars.

And, of course it didn't helped that he was practically a mirror image of his father. It was once a fact he was proud of, now, when others remarked upon the resemblance, he cringed.

_Damn Rose Weasley!_

It had to be her too. Scorpius had no intention of becoming involved with her and her cousin's juvenile attempt to leave class. He had just placed his belongings and was about to sit down when her limp body collided with him and he caught her. Albus had tried to take her from him immediately and Scorpius was more than willing to give her up but Professor Binns looked up, blinking his ghostly eyes at the commotion.

"Yes, well, Mr. Malpit, take Miss Wilson to the infirmary, if you please."

Scorpius did not please, but was not about to refuse his professor, even as Potter huffed and asked that he be the one to take her. Binns just shook his head and went on about his lesson as Albus shoved a sticky piece of candy in Scorpius's hand, glaring a warning as he did.

So Scorpius did as he was told, trying the entire time not to stare too long at the girl in his arms.

She was very pretty, but Scorpius had always known that. As she lay limp against him, Scorpius felt his mouth go dry. Her shirt had ridden up and exposed her naval. Scorpius felt a tightening in his trousers and willed his mind away from her soft and inviting skin. He took in her face; she looked at peace, which was a different look for her. Normally she looked downright mischievous. He had often wondered how she secured the grades she had when all she ever seemed to be doing was fooling around. Her hair was disheveled, which was not different for her, her hair was always wild. But it looked so soft and Scorpius had a fleeting image of running his fingers through it, burying his nose against her, kissing her…

_No! Stop it Scorpius!_

Unbidden to his mind came images of the Muggle stories his mother had insisted on reading to him when he was a child, princes waking princesses with kisses and Scorpius snorted at how pathetic he sounded.

He had knelt to administer the candy her cousin had shoved in his hand, a Skiving Snackbox, no doubt.

Her lower body was now lying across the floor while Scorpius supported her upper body and neck. Her head was tossed back and Scorpius was distracted by the smooth column of her neck. He fumbled a bit on the sweet before parting her soft lips with his fingers.

Scorpius gulped as he placed the sweet on her tongue, sweeping her up in his arms as soon as he had and staring straight ahead.

_This would not do at all._

The Weasley/Potter children were the only ones who did not torture Scorpius. He had always believed it was because they considered themselves above such things. They ignored him and he generally tried to return the favor.

This attraction to Rose would not serve him well. She could never consider a relationship with him. No one at Hogwarts did. Scorpius had long ago resigned himself to this fact and chose instead to focus on his studies. After Hogwarts he could get a good job, travel, and maybe find a place in this world where the name Malfoy wouldn't precede him.

Scorpius scowled as he focused once more on the parchment in front of him, jabbing his quill in the inkwell again. Rose was whispering with her cousin, grinning as Binns went on about some goblin revolution, completely ignoring the entire lesson, and Scorpius's arms tingled from where he had been holding her.

_Damn her!_


	2. A Letter at Dusk

Chapter Two

A Letter at Dusk

"Rosie, pass the potatoes already!" Albus chortled, running his hand through his eternally messy, black hair. "I've asked nearly ten times. And stop moping."

Rose scowled at Albus but passed the potatoes just the same. "I'm not moping," she countered, drumming her fingers loudly on the hard wooden table, her own plate of dinner forgotten. Her mood had been steadily declining throughout the day and as dinner was coming to an end she could no longer deny the cause.

Malfoy.

Or, as he insisted she call him, Scorpius. Rose couldn't help it; she scowled again.

"Woah, Rosie! Who took the piss out of you?" James asked, nicking a roll from her plate as he swung one long leg over the bench and turned to face her. Rose gave it up with only a sniff.

"She got another detention, pruning in Greenhouse Four at midnight," Albus supplied after swallowing heavily. Fred laughed, his teeth shining beautifully against his deep olive skin, as he dropped his rucksack on the bench and sat next to Albus.

"So?" he asked, scooping an inhuman portion of roast beef unto his plates and shoveling some into his mouth. "Yovd em bfur."

"Swallow, then speak, Fred," James rolled his eyes at his cousin.

Fred made a show of swallowing, smacking his lips directly after before he turned to Rose again. "As I was saying, you've had them before. What's the big deal?"

"That's the big deal," Rose muttered, pointing her unused fork in Scorpius's direction.

"Roxie?" Fred asked, turning to squint in confusion at the Slytherin table. His sister sat unaware of the attention, laughing softly and flipping her braids over her shoulder as she spoke with one of her many admirers.

"No, not Roxanne," Rose scoffed, realizing only now that her cousin was sitting a few places down from Scorpius. Scorpius himself was perched at the very end of the table, a good three seat lengths from any of the others in his house, staring down into his plate of food and only very occasionally glancing up. Once, when he had looked up, he noticed Rose staring in his direction. Rose felt her cheeks blush when he caught her, but he merely frowned.

"Who then?" James asked, now also peering, though having to stand to see over the top of Fred and Albus's heads.

"Sit down, you wanker," Rose hissed, pulling James by the shirttail. She was too late; Scorpius seemed to notice the extra attention he was receiving and he glared hard at her from his table, his jaw twitching.

"Malfoy?" James asked incredulously, staring down at his younger cousin in confusion.

"Yes, Scorpius," Rose corrected grudgingly, stabbing with unnecessary force at the remainder of her Yorkshire pudding.

"Ha!" Fred chortled. "He's bothering you? I've never seen him put a toe out of line. He's bloody ponce! What could he have—"

"He is not a ponce!" Rose interrupted hotly, not entirely sure from where the force of her conviction was stemming but completely positive that Fred's off-handed comment had annoyed her. "Forget it, I don't want to talk about it."

James's eyes widened as he looked towards his brother. Fred merely sniggered as Albus shrugged.

"She's been like this all day," Albus supplied. "Ever since History of Magic. We were trying to skive, get a few hours of practice in on the pitch, you know?" Fred and James nodded knowingly. Nearly the entire Weasley family dominated the Gryffindor Quidditch team, which hadn't flown so well in decades. Fred and James were Beaters, and Albus, Rose, and Lily rounded out the Chasers. Only the Keeper and Seeker were not family, though, as both would be graduating this year, and Hugo was itching to tryout for the Seeker position, while Molly practiced her Keeping nearly daily… Well, it wouldn't be too long until the entire team was related.

"Anyway," Albus continued, "after she bit the Fainting Fancy the ditzy bird fell into Malfoy's arms instead of mine—"

"Oh, I see," Fred interrupted, his eyes twinkling. "Did he get a look see? Is that what's got your knickers in a twist?"

James laughed. "Need Fred and me to rough him up some, Rosie?"

Rose scowled and stabbed at her food again, though she did notice that Albus at least had the dignity to look disgusted by his cousin's assumption.

"No, you pillock! He didn't do anything like that," Albus muttered angrily and then stopped, looking towards Rose for confirmation. "Did he?"

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Rose sputtered, throwing her fork down and giving up her dinner as a bad job. "No he didn't! He's just been a complete arse since we got caught, as though he's blaming me for the entire thing. It was he who threw me down in the middle of the corridor and started shouting at me!" Rose felt a slight twinge of regret as these angry words came spilling out, because they were not, well not _technically_, the truth. "That's how we got caught! And by Neville no less."

"Ah no, it was Neville?" James asked, seemingly passing through the beginning of her rant without interest and now looking aghast. "He told me the next time he caught me he'd be telling my Dad. Not that Dad might mind, actually, but Mum…" James shuddered as he trailed off, lost in reminiscing past punishments.

"Ha! Mum's are always the worse, my Dad would just be more disappointed that I got caught!" Fred laughed, reaching into his bag as he did so. "Now, James, it really is time we get to work."

"Ah, right you are Fred," James replied, rubbing his hands together in glee.

"Speaking of getting into trouble," Albus muttered under his breath as Fred extracted the worn notebook that, if ever he was unfortunate enough to have confiscated, would have indicated James and he in nearly every elaborate prank Hogwarts had seen this past six years. Rose shook her head as she turned away from them, glancing once more towards the Slytherin table. Scorpius still had his head down, though he appeared to be finished eating.

_Doesn't he normally sit with anyone?_

Rose couldn't remember ever having seen him with anyone at dinner, though admittedly she had never really bothered to look. She made an internal note to ask Roxanne about it and then immediately shook her head and reminded herself that she didn't care.

"It's just one detention," Albus interrupted her train of thought, peering at her thoughtfully. "It's not that bad. You don't even have to really talk to him throughout it and Malfoy's really good at Herbology, he can probably do all the hard stuff."

"Scorpius," Rose corrected again, though absently this time as she was taking her time dragging her eyes away from him.

_He really is rather good looking. I'm glad his eyes are blue, grey doesn't really suit him—_

"Huh?" Albus asked, eyeing Rose in confusion.

"His name," Rose replied distractedly, sighing as she focused on the remains of her now cold dinner. "It's Scorpius."

"Yeah, I know," Albus said, titling his head in question. Fred and James's whispered plotting drifted into the awkward silence that had, most unusually, surrounded Rose and Albus.

"We are not enchanting the bathroom doors! That's pathetic! Instead let's…"

"Hey, he didn't, I mean," Albus fidgeted as he sought for the words. "Nothing inappropriate—"

"Merlin Al!" Rose rolled her eyes but felt her face heat up regardless. She glanced up once more at the Slytherin table only to find Scorpius staring straight at her. Her blush deepened at the intensity of his stare and she cleared her throat before looking away. "No, prude, nothing happened," Rose mumbled, sucking in a deep breath in an attempt to cool her insides. Albus was still regarding her speculatively.

"But if we did a bathroom, they could end up here!"

"No, Fred! No bathrooms!"

"Alright," Albus continued. "It's just, you seem, I don't know, awfully fussed about one stupid detention. I mean, it's just Malfoy. Er, Scorpius," he corrected at the look on Rose's face.

"Ooh, what about Scorpius?" prompted Albus's sister Lily as she squeezed herself unto the bench between Rose and James, taking up Rose's discarded fork as she did.

Albus opened his mouth to responded but it was James who got it out first. "He cocked-up Rose's attempt to skive and got her caught by Neville and now they have detention together tonight." Rose rolled her eyes and pushed her leftovers towards the younger girl, who had arrived so late that dessert was the only available option left, while Albus just nodded.

"Hmm, a detention with him?" Lily asked, her voice adopting the dreamy tone she usually reserved for the professional Quidditch players whose posters adorned her bedroom walls. If Rose didn't know she had one of the best arms on the Quiddtich pitch she would write her off as just another ditzy, boy-crazed redhead. "You're lucky Rosie, he's dead sexy."

James spit out his pumpkin juice as Albus's jaw dropped. Rose felt a little shiver of annoyance twinge down her spine but Lily ignored all three as she began cutting up the remaining roast beef.

"You," sputtered James as Fred threw him a napkin to wipe up his mess. "You are not allowed to say that!"

Lily sniffed and tossed her hair as she turned her back to him and focused on Rose. "Tell me all about it. And close your mouth, Al," she added for good measure. Albus grimaced but did as he was told.

"Not much to tell really," Rose shrugged, knowing Lily would completely disagree with her if she told her the entire story. She would analyze every detail; the way Scorpius had carried her, the fact that every article of clothing she had on was somehow in disarray, her burying her face into his chest when her bout of acrophobia had accosted her; and undoubtedly conclude that this was the most romantic encounter anyone had ever had. Lily frowned, most likely guessing that Rose was not telling the whole story.

"Seriously? He never gets into trouble, he's so quiet," Lily argued, tilting her head to regard her cousin.

"He's a nancy boy," Fred interjected sagely, nodding his head.

"He is not a nancy boy!" Rose grit out though clenched teeth. "Why can't you all just shut your fat mouths?"

Lily's eyes went wide as Fred and James threw their hands up in surrender. "It was him this time Rosie, not me," James chuckled as he pointed his chin to Fred. Fred pressed his lips tighter together to keep from laughing as he adopted what he must have thought to be an innocent look. Rose scowled and directed her attention back to the worn table top, tracing a deep groove with the tip of her finger.

She kept her gaze lowered. She did not need to see Fred and James laughing at her before they put their heads back into that notebook, didn't need to see Lily give Albus that quizzical look of hers and see him shrug in return. Sometimes Lily was just like her mother: far too observant. Another awkward silence fell around her.

_What is the matter with me today?_

"No locker rooms either! What's wrong with you Fred?" James's voice was carrying, even if he was only whispering.

Why was he bothering her so much? It really was, as Albus said, only one stupid detention. But, it wasn't the detention that bothered her, or even, truthfully, being forced to spend time with Scorpius. It was that he seemed just so utterly indifferent to her.

_What had I ever done?_

Rose couldn't think of one incident in which she had ever offended him, much less talked to him. Why should he be so angry over one silly detention? Was he really that upset that he had to spend time in her company?

Rose glanced up at her cousins, noting that Fred and James had indeed buried their head in the notebook. Albus was tactfully looking away but Lily was staring straight at her.

Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. "What do you know about him?" she asked Lily in a whisper, having no desire to include Fred or James in their conversation.

Lily shrugged, keeping her thoughtful gaze on Rose. "Not much. He keeps to himself, doesn't bother anyone, and his marks are excellent. He doesn't date, though I suspect that has something to do with how people bully him."

"People bully him?" Rose asked, her eyes inadvertently being drawn back to the Slytherin table.

"Hmm, yeah they do," Lily said. "Some rubbish from the war, about his Dad and all…"

Rose nodded as Lily trailed off, her eyes focused once more on the grooved table. So, people bullied him? Is that why he seemed so angry and bitter?

_Well, there was still no need to treat me like that! I never bullied him!_

Rose knew for a fact that neither she nor any of her family would have picked on Scorpius.

_Well, James and Fred might,_ Rose conceded, though she thought that even they wouldn't. Once she had caught James escorting a lost Slytherin first year to the Entrance Hall. The little tyke had been crying softly, it was a really sweet moment. Of course, he was flustered when she asked him what he was doing and made her promise not to tell anyone he was "such a pansy."

"What?" Rose asked wearily, looking back up to find Lily still staring at her.

"I should ask you the same thing," Lily whispered. "You're never this grumpy, what's up?" Rose just shook her head.

_How can I explain this to her when I don't even know myself?_

"Well, aren't you excited at all?" she pressed, decidedly ignoring Rose's desire to change the topic. "He's absolutely adorable! A nighttime detention too…" Lily trailed off into a silly grin.

"Oh piss off, Lily!" James interrupted, frowning. "Your prepubescent hormone attack is ruining my plotting over here!"

"Oh, yes, because your plotting is so _mature_!" Lily snapped. "I'm fourteen, I'm allowed—"

"I don't care if you're fourteen, I'm seventeen and—"

"I'm sixteen!" Albus interjected, breaking up the ensuing fight as he most always did with some well-placed levity. Fred grinned as he caught on to the game.

"And I'm seventeen!" He said, jerking his thumb towards his chest like a two-year-old.

"Yeah, well, congratulations to you all," Rose interjected dryly. "And as fun as this has been, I'm going—"

"Oh ho! Not without that you're not!" James laughed, forgetting all about his fight with his sister as he pointed up at the ceiling of the Great Hall. Though the gathering clouds that reflected the nighttime sky, a great owl was swooping low. A great owl that looked scarily similar to Rose's Mum's owl, an owl that had a large red envelope clutched in his claws.

"Oh shite," Rose mumbled, hastily shoving her items in her rucksack as she prepared for flight.

"A Howler, no shit," Albus muttered, his face torn between horror and amusement at his cousin's predicament.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she hissed as she hopped up and down, beckoning the bird closer so she could grab the correspondence and run. The ominous red envelope was already smoking slightly and Rose's hands shook as she tried to get the owl to release it. The bird did so grudgingly, almost as though Hermione had instructed the bird to wait a bit before allowing Rose to have it.

_That would be just like Mum!_ Rose thought as she finally succeeded in tearing the letter away. She immediately took off running down the Great Hall towards the exit, aware of a dozen sets of eyes on her as she did so, her rucksack swinging on her hip.

~*~

_What the hell is she staring at?_ Scorpius thought as he stared down at his dinner plate, and not for the first time this evening. All day long he had the impression that Rose Weasley had been trying to corner him. First it was sitting directly behind him in Potions when even he knew that she normally sat all the way in the back, Potter's sideways glance at her had confirmed as much. Then it was sending Potter along ahead of her to Care of Magical Creatures under the pretense of her using the loo. But she hadn't used the loo, she had followed him nearly all the way to the Slytherin dorms trying to catch his eye. And now it was dinnertime, and she kept staring across the room at him when she thought no one else was looking.

_What is her problem?_

Scorpius sniffed to himself as he focused on the remainder of his meal. He was almost done, and then he would sit here, pretending he didn't care that he ate his dinner alone, that he would leave alone, that he would go into his dormitory and finish his homework alone…

_Fuck her!_ He thought bitterly as he forked and then swallowed the remainder of his Yorkshire pudding. _She sits there, surrounded by family who loves her, who watches out for her. Why can't she leave me alone!_

Scorpius wouldn't fool himself into believing she would care about him. He was just an oddity to her. She was probably still blaming him for getting her into trouble. He scoffed as he stabbed at his roast beef. He saw Roxanne Weasley turn a puzzled expression his way and immediately clamped his mouth shut, tensing his jaw as he did.

_No need to infuriate any more Weasleys today, _he thought wryly. They remained one of the only family's to be above antagonizing him. Leave it to stuck-up Rose Weasley to change all that.

_Wonderful!_

The entire Gryffindor collection of Weasleys and Potters were now staring in his direction.

_Excellent, really excellent,_ Scorpius thought as he glared his meanest glare across the Hall in the direction of Rose. _Now I'll have to deal with Potter and Weasley later. I bet they're offering to rough me up for daring to get precious little Rose in trouble!_

Scorpius finished his meal and shoved his plate away roughly. Of course, it wasn't helping matters that he happened to find her infuriately lovely.

No matter how aggravating she had been all day, his brain was still flashing images of her helpless in his arms. She had been just so deliciously disheveled, so flushed when he grabbed her after she toppled, so dependent when they were on the staircase. Even her sarcastic whit had been a bit of a turn on for him.

_Damn it!_

Scorpius was certain of one thing: his attraction could lead him nowhere. Rose would never have anything to do with him, no female in Hogwarts would. So this bizarre new draw he felt to Rose would undoubtedly become nothing more than a insistent frustration.

It wouldn't be so bad if he could at least keep his eyes off her. But, spurred on by her recent following of him, he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away for too long. Even now she looked kind of cute, arguing with her cousins.

It seemed odd to Scorpius, who only ever rarely noticed her disagreeing with any of them, that she looked so angry right now. She had just thrown her fork down and yelled at her cousins James and Fred before focusing her gaze directly at her untouched food. Her hair was falling forward and she bit her lip, it seemed to Scorpius in frustration. Albus had started in on her now and Scorpius could tell from here that she just wished to be left alone. Rose rolled her eyes before she snapped at him. And for reasons Scorpius could not understand, she blushed.

_Merlin she was pretty when she blushed. _

Just then Rose looked up, staring directly in Scorpius's eyes. It was too late to look away, and he couldn't muster an angry glare now if his life had depended on it, so Scorpius just stared back. She flustered, looked down, and didn't look back to him again. Though, Scorpius was surprised to note her blush had deepened noticeably.

He avoided looking her direction throughout the rest of his meal, leaving early from dinner, as was his custom.

The Entrance Hall was empty and quiet and Scorpius sighed softly upon reaching its' safety. With every other student still dining, he had an unobstructed path to his dorm. Though he wasn't really worried about being physically assaulted, not as he had been when he was younger, old habits, it seemed, died hard.

When the sound of rushing, pounding feet reached his ears, his back stiffened in his learned pattern and he turned his body towards the noise.

"Oof!" squeaked a female voice as an equally female body collided into his. Scorpius's arms reached out on instinct to steady the girl and he inhaled sharply when he recognized Rose. In her hands she held a large red envelope, the edges blackened with smoke, and either she was trembling or the envelope itself was.

"Rose?"

"Umm, hi, sorry…" Rose jumped back from him, hopping from foot to foot in apparent irritation.

"What are you—"

"Look, I can't, not right now…" Rose trailed off, holding the ominous looking post away from her body and backing away from him hurriedly. She was pointing over her shoulder in a vague sort of way and looked poised to run. "See you tonight," she offered as she took off, but she halted on the spot as the letter she was holding exploded.

_Ah, a Howler is it?_

Scorpius pressed his lips together in amusement. No doubt her parents had found out about the detention. He would be surprised if Professor Longbottom even bothered to contact his parents. Professor Longbottom had always been a favorite of Scorpius's, Herbology being his best and favorite subject, and as this was his first ever detention, he doubted it warranted parental contact. It seemed Miss Weasley had far more discrepancies to her credit.

A shrill voice erupted between them in the still empty Great Hall.

"ROSE WEASLEY! How dare you! Another Snackbox? What have I told you time and time again…"

The loud female voice, undoubtedly Rose's mother, droned on a bit, barking out reminders about "responsibilities" and "setting an example for your brother." Rose stood staring at it with her mouth dropped open, her gaze horrified. A blush was steadily making its way up her neck and into her cheeks, making Scorpius clear his throat as he wondered at its' origin.

Rose looked up, swallowing weakly, as she caught his eye. She grinned sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders, seeming to ask for forgiveness for the outburst. He smiled in return.

It was then that a loud male voice took over for the shrilling female tones. His was authoritative and forceful, though, if Scorpius had his guess, he sounded somewhat amused.

"Rosie, you're in your fifth year now and with O.W.L.s coming up this is not a good time to…"

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes before grinning. "Sorry about this," she whispered over her father's insistent lecturing. Scorpius shrugged. "The worse of it is over by now though. Dad's never as bad as Mum—"

"And I don't know what you're playing at with that Malfoy boy, but I don't want you going near him, do you hear me Rose?"

Rose and Scorpius both froze as her father's voice bellowed between them, leaving a cold silence in its' wake. The Howler dropped lifeless to the floor and Rose blinked before looking from it's wilted form to Scorpius.

"Scorpius, I'm… I—"

"Forget it," Scorpius spat out, turning on his heel to storm away to his room.

_That Malfoy boy… That's all I ever am, and _of course_, it's my fault!_

"No, seriously, Scorpius," Rose called out, trying to halt him in his tracks. He continued walking, just trying to get away from her. He didn't need, or want, to hear her empty words of condolence. There was nothing she could say or do to stop him from walking away from her right now.

He heard her footsteps speed up and she grabbed his forearm lightly. That did it. He stopped. "Scorpius, please," she huffed, trying to catch her breath. "Merlin, there's no need to run from me."

Scorpius stood staring at the place where her small hand had wrapped around his arm, her fingers were pressing lightly into his skin, branding him, and he couldn't remember ever getting this close to another person in this wretched school.

"S'sorry," she stuttered as she released him, probably aware of the intensity of his gaze upon her hands. Her fingers retreated and left white imprints that faded quickly into a light pink before blending away entirely, leaving no trace of the brief contact from moments before. Scorpius cleared away the lump in his throat as she started talking. "He had no right to say that, and I'm sorry you had to hear it."

Rose let out a whoosh of breath as she said this, as though she hadn't ever expected to say her father had been incorrect.

"No, he shouldn't have said it," Scorpius agreed, shaking his head slightly and looking up at Rose. "It was cruel and bigoted and prejudiced."

Rose blinked, her eyes wide, as she took in what Scorpius said. It was then that he realized just how hard his tone probably was. It was a reflex really, a cold, hard, indifferent air that he had learned from his father to use as a shield when others attacked him.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to be cruel, he was just—"

"People never mean to be cruel, they just are."

Rose looked taken aback, but she stood her ground. "I said I was sorry, and I am. He's wrong to say those things. But, he lived in a different time, it was harder for him back then and your father wasn't exactly—"

"My father? You know nothing about him."

"I know I don't _know_ him, I was just trying to explain that my dad—"

"Is an ass," Scorpius interrupted, staring down at Rose coolly.

Rose drew a deep breath and her spine went rigid. Her eyes blazed as they washed over him. "It's not his fault nobody trusts you. He isn't the one who engaged in war crimes, and he most certainly isn't the one who treats everyone around him with a sneering indifference."

"Well, it's not my fault either. I wasn't even born during that stupid war, I didn't have anything to do with it!"

_Merlin's balls what is wrong with me? What is it about this girl that has me arguing like this?_

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself Malfoy," Rose spat. "It's ridiculously unattractive!"

"As though my attractiveness could ever matter to a person such as yourself, your father just so very kindly instructed you to have nothing to do with me!"

"He doesn't dictate my life!" Rose yelled, inching closer to Scorpius. He could feel her breath settle around him. "But why would I want to have anything to do with someone as spineless as yourself?"

Scorpius clenched his jaw against the almost overpowering, and completely ridiculous, urge to kiss Rose. She was unattainably attractive in this moment, her hair crackling with energy, her face flushed, her eyes shining. Everything about her made him want to grab her and press her tightly to his chest, his mouth on hers, his tongue tangled with—

She huffed at his silent stare, turned on her heel and strode away, leaving him alone in the mercifully still empty hall.


	3. The Greenhouse at Midnight

Chapter Three

The Greenhouse at Midnight

"Oof," Rose huffed as she cleared the corner to Greenhouse Four, almost toppling herself as she collided with some large, warm object.

"Must I forever be catching you?" Scorpius Malfoy sneered as he righted Rose on her feet. Rose opened her mouth to retort just as Professor Longbottom threw open the door.

"Well? It's cold out there, come in, come in!"

Rose let her lips curl into what she hoped was her most scornful expression, wrinkling her nose in distaste of the boy she stood next to before she strode through the door, her head held high. Scorpius followed, frowning.

_Merlin, it's not my fault the ground is covered in mud! I slipped; he acts as though he just saved my life!_

"Well, Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, tonight you will be pruning my Humming Hornwort and—"

_Humming Hornwort? What the hell is that? I've certainly never heard of it…_

Rose leaned against the nearest workbench, her eyes cast around the spacious greenhouse.

_Hornwort… Hornwort… Do I know anything about them? If we're pruning at midnight it must mean they're something leafy and green. Hmm, wort __is the liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer or whisky. But, I doubt Neville is brewing alcohol after school hours._

Rose snorted at the thought and both Scorpius and Professor Longbottom looked over to her in curiosity. Rose cleared her throat and averted her eyes as Neville went back to his speech.

_Maybe it actually has horns, like Horned Poppies or Horned Melon… And shouldn't it be humming?_

Rose glanced around again, trying to spot the plant, tuning out the two men talking as she listened intently for humming. She didn't see anything with horns.

_Though, actually, this place is rather romantic as night, isn't it?_

The moonlight was filtering through the unwashed greenhouse glass, and though it probably should make it all just seem dirty, to Rose, it took on a misty, shadow-shifting quality that became altogether romantic. The air was heavy and thick, as it usually was in the greenhouse, but it seemed almost perfumed. Rose decided she would have to find whichever species was giving off that irresistible scent. She inhaled deeply and felt rather dreamy for a moment.

_Too bad I'm stuck here with him!_

After their last encounter, and that nasty comment before entering the greenhouse, Rose had decided she just didn't like Scorpius Malfoy. And it irritated her because really, she never had any intention of disliking him. But he had gone and made it almost impossible to avoid.

_Look at him now, lapping up every word Neville says, standing there all remote and… and…_

Well, really sexy seemed to be the word for it, only Rose refused to think it. The moonlight caught his hair just so, making it shine and almost glow. His features were softer now, and maybe it was in the light of the lecture but he seemed at peace and… was it happy?

Rose caught a grin tugging at her lips as she watched him, only to be jerked back into reality by Neville's harsh voice.

"Rose! Are you even listening?"

"Hmm? Of course, Professor. Hornwort."

Neville closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Honestly Rose," he muttered under his breath, though Scorpius must have heard because he gave a low chuckle. "Okay, give me your wand." He held his hand out to Rose who dutifully placed her wand there. Rose was used to having her wand confiscated during detentions, ever since her second detention when she charmed a suit of armor to scrub trophies for her. She thought it was a decent bit of magic; the caretaker did not.

"It shouldn't take too long," Neville said as he reached for the door. "Try not to—"

"Hey! How come he gets to keep his?" Rose interrupted, pointing at the wand sticking from Scorpius's back pocket.

Neville frowned at Rose's interruption but turned back to her. "Because you'll cheat; he won't. Good luck Mr. Malfoy. Signal me when you're done."

Rose felt her forehead wrinkle as the door slammed shut. Scorpius chuckled again, though quietly and to himself, as he turned to the workbench behind Rose. She jumped up to sit on the tabletop as she watched him search through an overstuffed drawer until he pulled out two pairs of shears.

"Here," he said, shoving one of the shears into her hands and pointing to the opposite corner. "The Mandrakes are over there."

"Mandrakes? I thought we were pruning humming hillbillies."

Socrpius's eyebrows rose as he regarded her. "I'm pruning Humming Hornworts…"

_Ah right, Hornworts!_

"…you're giving the teenaged Mandrakes haircuts because they are simply refusing to be repotted until they've been restyled."

"Mandrakes? Ah hell, how come I get the second-year stuff and you get Hornworts?"

"Because I listen. Did you listen at all?"

"Not really," Rose conceeded as she jumped off the bench and made for the corner. "I was trying to figure out what Hornworts were in my head, I've never heard of them before."

"You do realize that had you just listened, Professor Longbottom would have explained all that to you?"

"Hmm, I suppose so, but I like to try to figure things out. I guess if I did just _listen_ in class, it would help some but…" Rose shrugged and dragged a stool to the Mandrake bench.

"I don't know how you get such high marks," Scorpius grumbled. Though Rose couldn't be sure if it was because he was chagrined or it was the weight of the ladder he was now dragging from a closet Rose hadn't realized was there.

"I read," Rose replied in distraction as she watched him prop up the heavy-looking wooden ladder. "How did you know that was there? We've never had class in this greenhouse."

Scorpius refused to answer as he turned his back to Rose. He paused to take off his robes, hanging them on the corner of Rose's workbench before unbuttoning and rolling up his white sleeves. His forearms shone in the moonlight, highlighting the trace of muscle that ran throughout. Rose suddenly felt very warm.

"Hot in here, isn't it?"

Scorpius ignored her again as he ascended the ladder, pruning shears tucked into the back pocket of his trousers.

_Lucky shears… _

_Rose stop!_

Rose shook the image of his bum out of her head and turned back to her task. She removed her robe once she realized the sleeves really would get in her way and flung it over Scorpius's. Next she too unbuttoned and rolled up her sleeves, though she loosened her tie as well and undid the first three buttons from her collar. She wasn't just making small talk; it really was warm in the greenhouse.

Before her sat rows and rows of teenaged Mandrakes.

_Hmm, teenager haircuts, huh?_

Rose thought wickedly of mohawks and bad dye jobs before glancing up in question at Scorpius.

Was this what the Mandrakes wanted? Or would they jump out of their pots in an attempt to stun her if she tried it?

"Er, Scorpius?"

No response. Rose growled in frustration. Was he really going to ignore her the entire night? What did he want from her?

Suddenly, the answer came floating through her forebrain: an apology.

"Scorpius, listen—"

"In case you really are that obtuse, I'll explain it to you: I am trying to ignore you," he spoke with decision, enunciating each syllable carefully.

Rose huffed. "Yes I had noticed but I was trying to apologize, excuse me for attempting to…"

"Wait, what?"

"Apologize, as in I'm sorry I got you in trouble. I'm sorry I called you a ponce. I'm sorry we are both stuck in this Merlin-awful detention—"

"I'm not," he interrupted, his voice very soft, and even in the moonlight Rose could tell he was blushing. "Well, not anymore," he mumbled before turning his back on Rose once again and bringing his shears to the leafy green plant that climb one side of the greenhouse wall and up unto the curved ceiling. It's large, flourishing leaves hung limply towards the ground, casting breaking shadows across Scorpius's frame. He pinched one of the leaves at its' stem and used the shears to cut it off. As it fell, lifeless, to the floor, it's brother and sister leaves all lifted up, stretching on their stems so that it appeared as though they were floating mid air. An otherworldly music swelled and at first Rose dipped her head back and forth, searching for the source. But she realized quickly that the heavenly song was coming from the Hornwort, it was _humming_.

"It's… it's singing!" Rose exclaimed, dropping her own shears and moving to the base of the ladder. "How?" She tugged on the pant leg of Scorpius's trousers, the nearest part of him she could reach and looked up to him for her answer. He flushed as he gazed at her, quickly reverting his eyes to the crooning plant above him.

"It's a self defense mechanism," he explained quietly, the music still drifting delicately about them. Rose felt her head fill with the soft sounds, beckoning forth contented sighs and a flutter of her eyelashes. "When any of the leaves is cut, the remaining create a kind of music by rubbing stems together, see?" Scorpius pinched two leaves apart and the humming shifted, became deeper and louder as Scorpius clipped the next two leaves with his shears.

"It's incredible," Rose murmured, fingering the nearest humming leaves with care.

"Yeah, it is," Scorpius agreed, his voice deep and soft with a quality to it that Rose couldn't accurately place.

Was it contentment, gratitude, reverence?

"If you were unaware of the plants' abilities, the music just might entice you to stop," Scorpius continued to explain. "But the leaves are dead useful. They're used in the infirmary. Laryngitis," Scorpius added at Rose's questioning gaze.

"You're joking," Rose exclaimed, snorting at the thought that a _humming_ plant was used for patients who had lost their voices.

"Yeah, I am," Scorpius chuckled. "But you should have seen your face!" Rose smiled up at him, surprising herself.

_Who would have thought Scorpius Malfoy could joke?_

"How do you know all this, it's not in the text," Rose asked, still staring up at him.

"Hmm, no it's not," he agreed, turning back to the leafy greens and raising his pruning shears.

"Not going to tell me?" Rose asked, pouting as she batted her eyelashes up at him. She knew she shouldn't try her hand now at flirting, not when she had such little experience in the area. But she had seen her younger cousin Lily and her older cousin Victoire use the pouty-face-look a multitude of times without fail.

"Not at the moment," Scorpius answered breezily.

_So much for my flirting skills…_

"Well, could you at least tell me how I'm suppose to cut the Mandrakes hair, I've no idea."

Scorpius grunted as he pocketed his shears, shifting Rose's gaze once more to his arse. Rose shook her head hastily as he reached the bottom rung and turned to her. He crossed behind her without a word and positioned himself so he could watch her technique over her shoulder.

"It helps to actually be holding these." Scorpius's breath breezed past her ear and in the sudden silence from the Humming Hornworts, who for the moment must have felt safe, Scorpius's inhaling, exhaling, shifting… it all sounded so loud and sharp to Rose. He gently placed the shears in her hand, closing her fingers over the handle. Rose swallowed with difficulty.

"How should I…" Rose trailed off as her voice stuttered and she cleared her throat delicately.

Scorpius laughed softly in her ear. "Like this," he offered, wrapping his strong fingers around her free hand and bringing it to the Mandrakes scalp. He shifted closer to her as he did so, brushing up against her as he leaned towards the workbench. He enclosed her hand over the tuff of the wild foliage growing haphazardly from the base of the pot and brought her other hand, the one still tightly gripping the shears, to just over her closed fist.

"Cut it just here," he breathed in her ear. Rose jumped nervously at his proximity. The heat of the greenhouse combined with the perfumed air and now the added warmth of Scorpius's body… it was all too much for Rose. She felt a bead of sweat form in the hollow of her throat and inhaled sharply as it made its' path down between her breasts.

"It won't hurt them," he said, misinterpreting her hesitancy.

"No, I know," she said, shaking her head as she squeezed her shears closed. The foliage fell in great clumps and the Mandrake beneath shuddered slightly before going still.

"Professor Longbottom has a theory, you know," Scorpius said conversationally as he stepped away and returned to the base of the ladder. "They prefer wild haircuts, mohawks and the like—"

Rose cut him off with her laughter. "I had thought, initially…" she trailed off, giggling again. Scorpius grinned.

"Yeah, well, for years that's how most tended them. Professor Longbottom thinks that if we don't coddle them, you know, bend to their teenaged whims? Well, he thinks if we just treat them like proper adults earlier it might mature them faster. He's writing a paper on it now, using this batch as research."

"Hmm," Rose mused, looking thoughtfully back over the maturing plants. "That's an interesting theory." Scorpius hummed in agreement before climbing the ladder.

"But, how do you know all this?" Rose insisted. "How many times has Longbottom given you detention?" Scorpius laughed at this, a loud, bellowing laugh that caused Rose to wrinkle her nose in confusion.

"How many detentions?" he repeated, chuckling as he shook his head. "I've never _had_ a detention before this night. How many have you had?"

"I don't know about—" Rose cut off, astounded. "Wait, you've never had a detention before?"

Scorpius shook his head, pressing his lips together.

"Oh, now I truly do feel bad!" Rose exclaimed, throwing down her shears.

"You didn't before? I'm heartbroken," Scorpius teased. Rose grinned up at him ruefully.

"I did, but now I'm the reason you have your first ever detention." Rose shook her head. "Five years and no detention, what have you been doing with yourself?"

Scorpius chuckled again, though it was not so full of mirth this time. He waved his arm around the greenhouse. "My playground," he muttered.

"You hang out here? Longbottom's alright with that?"

"It was his idea actually. That's how I know all this stuff. I help Professor Longbottom out on the weekends, hauling manure, repotting, and seeding the vegetable patches."

_Well that explains the muscles and the tan…_

"But why? You really like Herbology that much?"

"Hmm, Herbology is fine, I actually do enjoy it now, but it started off more as just something to do on the weekends," Scorpius shrugged and returned to pruning, the humming started almost immediately and Rose felt a pull into a far dreamier state. She picked up her shears and returned to her work. The ethereal melody drifted on the fragrant air between Scorpius and Rose, drawing occasional sighs from Rose as she worked to their song.

"Tell me something else about you, Scorpius," Rose said after a while, surprising herself at the tenderness in her tone of voice.

_It must be the music…_

"About me?"

"Yes, such as… do people really call you Scorpius all the time? Do you have a nickname?"

"A nickname?" Scorpius blinked down at her. "No, all my parents have ever called me was Scorpius."

"Yeah? What about your friends? What do they call you?"

Scorpius frowned at Rose, though she wasn't sure why.

"Why, what do your friends call you?" he asked, effectively steering the conversation away from himself.

"Friends?" Rose sniffed as she rolled her eyes. "You mean my family."

"It's the same thing in your case."

"It is not, my family has to be my family. They have no choice."

"Yeah, but they don't have to hang out with you. They choose to do that. And you seem really close with them. Don't you like having a big family?" Scorpius asked, regarding her carefully.

"I do, I do," Rose rushed to reassure him, dropping her pruning shears and leaning back on the table as she stretched her arms in front of her. "I love having a big family. It's just, sometimes people assume I can't make friends on my own because all I ever do is hang around with my cousins. But really, I love hanging around with my cousins and truthfully some of the other students just treat me…"

"Yeah?" Scorpius prompted in her delay, placing the shears back in his pocket as he shifted on the ladder towards her.

"I don't know, different?" Rose offered tentatively, frowning as she did so. "Like I'm some sort of novelty or something, what with my dad and mum…"

She trailed off again, staring at her fingers before she crossed her arms and looked to the ground.

_Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up._

Scorpius cleared his throat as he descended the ladder, retrieving his shears and throwing them next to Rose's discarded pair.

"So what does your family call you?" he asked, reaching forward and grasping her upper arms as he turned her towards him and tactfully changed the subject.

"Rosie," she grinned up at him. "All the boys in my family call me Rosie."

"Hmm, Rosie," he mused, smiling down at her. "I like it. And I do understand." Rose nodded at him as the silence enveloped them. His hands fell away from her and she fidgeted uncomfortably. The beams of moonlight shifted as the Humming Hornworts sighed in relief above them. Rose glanced skyward.

"They must feel safe now," Scorpius mused in a whisper.

"I really am sorry about getting you in trouble, Scorpius," Rose murmured, not yet finding the courage to look him in the eye. But she could feel him smiling down at her.

"It's not a problem," he said, Rose could almost hear him grinning. "In fact, are all detentions this pleasant? Maybe I should strive for more."

Rose laughed and finally locked gazes with him. "Don't try to make me feel better," she teased, swatting at him playfully.

"You're right," he conceded, looking far too wounded to actually be so. He clutched at his chest dramatically. "Whatever will you do to make it up to me?"

Rose rolled her eyes but decided to play along.

"Hmm… I could do your homework for a week?"

"More cheating?" Scorpius sniffed and crossed his arms, though his eyes glinted playfully. "I think not."

"Do your laundry?"

"House Elves."

"I'd offer to bake you biscuits but I'm a terrible cook, I could nick some for you?"

"And risk another detention? Shame, shame Miss Weasley." Scorpius's eyes twinkled down at her and Rose wasn't sure she had ever seen him look so happy.

"Well, you name it then," Rose said, leaning back against the workbench, her hand fluttering to the nape of her neck as Scorpius shifted just a bit closer.

_Merlin, it is hot in here…_

"Hmm, my choice is it?" Scorpius locked gazes with Rose and inched even closer. Rose rested back on her elbows and licked her lips, confused by the sudden dryness in her throat.

"Seems to be." Rose whispered. Scorpius seemed to hover above her as he brought his hands to rest next to hers on the rough workbench top. His body was coming dangerously close to contact with hers and Rose felt her skin jolt at the prospect, almost as though her body was urging her to bridge the distance.

Scorpius smiled down at her, it seemed to Rose a bit shyly. His fingers faltered on the worn surface and his pinky came to rest on top of hers. She inhaled sharply and glanced down.

When she looked back up, Scorpius was leaning closer, his eyes intently drawn to her lips. She felt a shiver traverse her spine and shuddered lightly when his lips pressed to hers.

And then the heat; it was everywhere, overwhelming, overpowering. All Rose could feel were his lips, his mouth, his tongue as it nudged her lips, searching her.

And she really hoped he liked what he found.

She kissed him back as they both stood incredibly still. His pinky on hers was the only other contact and it burned hotly. She opened her mouth to him and he withdrew momentarily, but in that moment Rose found herself hoping he'd continue. When he did Rose threw herself into the kiss, hoping her lips would convey what her body could not. She stood frozen as a statue; afraid to interrupt the moment, afraid she would cause him to stop.

His pinky moved, ever so slightly, but in what could only be described as a caress. Rose sighed against his lips as she just dimly registered a light bobbing their way. All this time they had been working solely by moonlight, had she not noticed before?

The foreign light felt intrusive against her closed eyelids and she shut them tighter, away from it.

"Longbottom," Scorpius murmured into her mouth.

"Hmm?" she hummed, confused, begging the thrilling movement of his mouth to return.

"He's coming," he whispered, pulling away sharply and stepping back. Rose felt the loss of his warmth keenly, her body shivered, though she felt what heat she had left gather in her cheeks.

"Scorpius," she murmured, not quite looking at him. But, he shushed her as the door sprang open.

"I know you are quite diligent, Mr. Malfoy," Neville began as he pushed through the door. "But it is well past one in the morning and I doubt Miss Weasley can handle much more."

_Neville is so very, very wrong._

"Sorry, Professor, we're done here," Scorpius answered.

_Oh no we're not, not even close._

"Well, gather your things, I'll escort you back," Neville said, standing sentinel at the door. Scorpius bent to gather the fallen leaves of the Hornwort, piling them in a basket, and Rose wondered how he could seem so calm. She had yet to move from the spot he had backed her into. He then flourished his wand and his and Rose's robes flew through the air. He offered Rose her robe, helping her into it before he donned his own. And without even a backwards glance, he strode out into the cold night.

Rose's forehead furrowed in confusion before she was startled into movement by Professor Longbottom clearing his throat.

_Is he walking away from me?_

"Scorpius! Wait!"


	4. A Cold, Approaching Dawn

Chapter Four

A Cold, Approaching Dawn

"Not now, Weasley," Scorpius muttered as Rose drew closer, her robes whipping in the frosty night air.

_What the hell was I thinking?_ Scorpius thought, torturously. His hands were twisting in his robe pockets as he stormed through the night towards the castle. He was vaguely aware of Professor Longbottom following behind and intensely aware of Rose Weasley racing to catch up with him.

_This cannot happen. She cannot happen. It would never end well, not one of her cousins would allow it. Not to mention she probably thinks I'm just something to experiment with…_

_No, this will not happen._

"Merlin, Scorpius," Rose huffed, catching up to him at last, "wait up!"

Scorpius ignored her dutifully as he pushed through the cold air to the ever-advancing promise of whatever limited warmth the castle would offer.

"You can't go back to just ignoring me!" Rose stated, tugging on his arm. He ignored the sensation. "You can't just snog me like that and—"

"Weasley!" Scorpius hissed, sending a warning glance in her direction as he checked to see if Professor Longbottom had heard.

"Oh, sod Neville!" Rose said, throwing her hands up. "And what's with this Weasley business?" Rose bit her lip as she looked up at him. She looked rather vulnerable for a moment, a look Scorpius knew for sure he had never seen on Rose's face, and his heart crumbled just a bit. He took a deep breath and walked on.

Rose stood standing where he had left her until Neville caught up and Scorpius could hear a whispered, "C'mon Rose." He glanced back to see a confused Rose being tugged up the hill by the elbow, Professor Longbottom supporting her.

Scorpius's heart lurched, but it was good…

_It was good, wasn't it?_

…he needed time to think and Rose was just a distraction.

_A lovely, warm, willing distraction…_

_Scorpius stop!_

Scorpius shook his head free of all Rose centered thoughts, replacing them instead with images of her cousins James and Fred cornering him, threatening him, hexing him… Scorpius shuddered. Those two particular Weasleys were just so creative with their jinxes. And what about Roxanne? She was his dorm mate and had never bothered him before, but surely blood would win out in this instance. Just how much influence does an attractive, popular, seventh-year witch have over the males in her house? Scorpius's chest caved in at the answer to that question.

_Dammit Scorpius! Why did you have to go and do something so bloody stupid?_

He knew why though, of course he did.

She had just been so lovely, the moonlight filtering though her soft, brown hair, her eyes twinkling in the starlight, her skin glowing softly, and her sighs…

Merlin those sighs!

Just insubstantial breaths between breaths, a small volume of air being pushed through her lips at a slow pace, and yet how exquisite they had sounded as they passed through _her_ lips.

Scorpius grit his teeth as the cold air billowed about him.

He had been unable to stop himself, unwilling. Her lips were wet, and looked so soft. She was nervous, he could tell, but so was he. And when his lips pressed against hers it was unlike anything he had ever felt. He was so unsure as to how to proceed but she took control, as it seemed she always did.

Her mouth opened and Scorpius thought his chest would explode on the spot. She was so warm, so sweet, and he wanted more, yet was totally unsure of how to get it. The only other contact he had was his pinky on hers, the smallest possible amount of skin touching, and yet it grounded Scorpius to the spot, heat raced from his finger to hers. He traced small circles on her skin, wanting to be daring and try for more, wanting to reach for her, grab her…

Yet all he seemed able to do was trace the outline of her damnable little finger.

Scorpius laughed harshly to himself as the outline of the castle loomed above him, dark and foreboding. What new tortures would await him now? How many Weasleys were there anyway? Surely there must be some at least smaller than he.

Scorpius pushed through the heavy wooden doors and stopped to wait for his professor, pacing across the entrance. Professor Longbottom entered first, looking slightly winded, followed by Rose.

She had not donned her hood and so looked deliciously windswept. She was biting her lip, looking everywhere but at Scorpius and Scorpius felt a pang.

_But good, this is good. She shouldn't think that we could do that again._

But rather than comfort, that thought merely brought on another, quite more painful, pang to his heart.

"Well," Professor Longbottom broke the earlier morning silence of the Entrance Hall, loosening his robe as he did so. "I trust Mr. Malfoy will escort Miss Weasley back to her Common Room? Yes? Well, then, goodnight to you both."

"But, Professor?" Rose called out quickly to Neville's rapidly retreating back.

"Now Miss Weasley, be nice to the poor boy," he called back over his shoulder as Rose's jaw dropped.

"Be nice to _him_?" she muttered savagely. "But, wait! Neville!"

"He's gone," Scorpius murmured softly, removing his cloak and slinging it over his arm. "I'll take you to your Common Room."

"I can take myself, thank you very much," she sniffed as she strode past him in the direction of the stairs. He jogged to catch up to her. He knew from experience just how well she did on the school's moving staircases.

"I said I could take myself, Malfoy!" she spat and Scorpius cringed at the malevolent force behind her use of his surname. "In case you can't decipher that, it means I don't _want_ you here!"

_But, Merlin, do I want her…_

"I did realize it, but Professor Longbottom told me to escort you so—"

"Oh right, the perfect Scorpius Malfoy always does what he is told."

Scorpius laughed. No one had ever thought to insult him by calling him perfect!

"What?" she snapped, turning to face him with a blazing look in her eyes, her hands firmly on her hips.

"N'nothing, sorry," Scorpius stuttered, taking a step back. Rose blew out a breath and looked away.

"Why did you even kiss me anyway?" Rose asked in a voice so small Scorpius almost missed it. She turned from him and removed her robe. Her eyes were cast downwards, her features hidden in shadow, yet Scorpius could identify the hurt that laced her tone.

"I… because I…"

…_wanted to._

"I don't know."

"Perfect," Rose mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, her dark cloak hanging over them, before turning back away from him and slowly ascending the stairs.

"Look," Scorpius supplied softly as he ascended the stairs next to her, falling into the railing a bit as the staircase moved, "I'm doing you a favor, both of us a favor, we can pretend this never happened and just go back to ignoring each other, right?"

Rose's spine stiffened and she continued to stare straight ahead. "I see," she said coldly. Scorpius frowned.

What didn't she understand? He had gotten carried away, reaching for things he knew he could never have, and now he was admitting this to her and giving her an out. He wouldn't talk about her behind or back or anything, he just didn't want her cousins making his life even more of a hell.

"So you won't tell your cousins about this then?" he asked as the staircase jolted to a halt, sending Rose careening into the railing with a little gasp. He reached out, ready to steady her and she gripped the front of his shirt tightly and bent her head into him. He spoke a moment later. "It's okay, the stairs have stopped, we can go now."

Rose nodded and released him, stepping onto the solid stone of the hallway floor with shaking hands.

"How do you manage to get on the stairs everyday?" Scorpius asked, shaking his head slightly. Rose's fear of heights seemed ridiculously pronounced for one who was so excellent on the Quidditch pitch.

"Albus usually walks me," she said in a soft voice, her head down as she walked slowly forward, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Every time?"

"Well, Albus mostly, but sometimes James, Lily, or Hugo," Rose admitted, her tone low and her eyes downcast.

Scorpius nodded. "Nice to have such a large family."

"Why did you think I would tell them?" she asked suddenly, turning on her heel to face Scorpius. He blinked.

"I don't know, don't you tell them everything?" He searched her features through the moonlight spilling from the surrounding high windows. She looked confused.

"I guess usually, but what makes you think I'd run to tell them all about some bloke who rejects me after a bit of snogging?" She said it all calmly, but she didn't once look at him.

"Rejects you? That's not what I—"

"Well, what do you call it then?"

"I just, umm… I'm sorry, I thought you'd want to—"

"To what? Forget it? Or do you believe I'm in the habit of snogging any old person one day and switching the next? Is that what you think of me?" Rose asked, her voice rising in volume so that Scorpius became afraid she'd wake half the castle.

"What? No, Rose I'm sorry," Scorpius rushed to say, stepping closer to her as he did. She backed up a step and wrapped her arms around her stomach. "It's just, I thought you'd want to avoid me."

Rose's brow crinkled as she regarded him. "Do you want me to avoid you?"

"This isn't about what I want," Scorpius said darkly, clenching his teeth as he regarded the cold stone floor.

"And why not?"

"Because I don't get what I want, not here. Not when everybody knows me and hates me as a son of a Death Eater. A Malfoy, that's all I am to anybody here and unlike everyone else, I don't just get what I want handed to me!" Scorpius took a deep breath and avoided looking at Rose, knowing he'd see the same look of acceptance of his fate that he always saw in everybody he talked to. Somehow he couldn't stand the thought of seeing that look on Rose's face.

"You asked me before what my friends call me? Are you kidding me, Rose? Do you ever see me with any friends? Nobody is friends with me. Nobody even talks to me! I work with Longbottom on the weekends because without that I'd have nothing to do! I'd just sit by myself at the lake or in the library, just like the day First Year when he found me there after Sam Bigby broke my nose." Scorpius stopped suddenly as Rose took a step towards him.

"You shouldn't let anyone tell you you're not good enough for what you want," Rose said, stepping close and looking Scorpius directly in the eye. "No matter what the Sam Bigby's of this school did to you when you were twelve."

"You… you don't understand," Scorpius said meekly, trailing after her as she turned on her heel and walked away. "You're better off just ignoring me like you always have."

"Like I always have," Rose scoffed mockingly. "It wasn't on purpose! I just never noticed you—"

Scorpius laughed roughly. "Then you're the only one, everyone else in this bloody school has had something to say to me!"

"You know what? You are pathetic!" Rose screamed, turning once more on her heel and throwing her robe to the floor. "Is that what people tell you? Because if they do, it's because it's true!"

"No they tell me I'm a murderer's grandson, a torturer's son! They tell me I'm not fit to set foot in this school—"

"Ooh!" Rose growled, stepping closer and pushing Scorpius so that he fell back into the wall. "Well, maybe you're not! Guess what? You're wrong; nobody here gets what they want just handed to them! You have to _take_ it!"

Scorpius stood there staring at her, his jaw tensing and clenching. She was staring right back at him, her chest heaving as she drew breath, her eyes flashing, her mouth set in a hard line.

"I have to take what I want?" Scorpius asked in a low growl, throwing his robe on top of hers. Rose nodded tensely and stood her ground.

"That's what I—"

She didn't have time to finish because Scorpius grabbed her by her upper arms, spun her, and pinned her to the wall. She blinked up at him as he closed in on her. But he faltered as he went to kiss her, placing his lips against the skin of her neck instead. She shuddered underneath him.

"Is this what you want?" she breathed in his ear as he kissed his way up to her earlobe. He didn't trust his voice, so he just kept his lips pressed into her skin, sucking softly. He captured her earlobe between his teeth and bit gently before working his way down her jaw line.

Rose stayed very still, hands splayed against the wall behind her, and Scorpius began to worry that maybe he had pressed his advantage.

"Rose," he murmured, he mouth hovering inches from the hollow of her throat.

"Hmm?"

"You aren't moving."

"I'm afraid you'll stop."

"Should I?" he asked, grinning against the flesh of her neck, already anticipating her answer. She was trembling under his fingertips.

"Only if you want… Ooh," Rose broke off in a moan as Scorpius's lips pressed back into her throat. "Sod it," she continued in a broken gasp. "Please, please don't stop."

That was all the encouragement Scorpius needed. He laced his fingers into her hair and pressed his mouth to hers. She whimpered against his lips as she opened her mouth to him, inviting him to continue where they left off in the greenhouse.

Scorpius stepped closer in on her, pressing the length of his body against hers, following his instincts as he had not during their detention. Her fingers were trailing up his arms, gliding over the back of his neck, sliding down his chest until she had his shirt twisted up in her fists. Scorpius explored her mouth, savoring the feel and taste of her without hesitation. He nipped at her lips and matched the movement of her tongue with his own. She groaned softly at his actions.

His hands slid out of her hair, her soft, wild hair, and traced the contours of her back. She was lean and fit, muscles covered with petal-soft skin, and Scorpius could feel the tone of her as evidence of her hard work on the Quidditch pitch. And yet she was all girl, soft in the best places and so slight in his arms. He gripped her waist and she shifted closer to him.

She broke from his mouth and trailed her lips to his jaw line, copying his actions from before, as her hands drifted down to his belt. Her fingers tucked behind the leather and she used the leverage to push herself up on her toes, capturing his earlobe as she did. Scorpius's vision swam.

"Rose?"

"Hmm?" she murmured, the vibrations from her voice causing her lips to tremble against his skin. Scorpius shivered at the sensation.

"I'm supposed to take you to your dorm," he answered weakly, swallowing with difficulty.

"Are you trying to secure an invitation to my bedroom, Mr. Malfoy?" Rose asked, laughing softly into his neck.

Scorpius stood stock still as Rose chuckled into his skin. "Rose, I didn't—" he started meekly but she cut him off.

"I'm just teasing, Scorpius," she murmured, kissing her way up his jaw line.

"I only meant to do what Professor—"

"Do you always do as you're told?" she interrupted, leaning back to regard him.

"I only very rarely avoid it."

"Then shut up and kiss me already," she ordered, tilting her face back upwards to his and gently gazing into his eyes. Her lips quirked in genuine amusement and her eyes danced in a gentle tease.

_Well, I was never one to refuse an order…_

Scorpius kissed her, slowly and without hurry. She sighed once more against him and he felt a rush of heat spread from his chest out to his fingertips.

"Mr. Malfoy, what are you doing?" a scandalized, cracked, elderly voice interrupted them like the crack of apparition. "And with Miss… Miss _Weasley_?" Old McGonagall seemed genuinely shocked, one weathered hand clutching her chest as she stared at her two students. Scorpius looked around and realized that this really didn't look that good. Two crumpled robes thrown over each other on the floor, Rose pressed into the wall, her collar loosed, her buttons undone, not to mention their swollen lips.

"Sorry, Headmistress," Rose interjected, her cheeks flaming but her voice quite steady. "Scorpius was just seeing me back to my dorm after our detention."

"Yes, well, the last time I checked the Gryffindor dormitories were not accessed through a hole in that particular wall, Miss Weasley," McGonagall answered without a pause. "Perhaps Professor Longbottom should have escorted you himself. Make no mistake, I will be doing so next time!"

_Next time? What was she on about?_

Rose just grinned. "Same time, same place?"

McGonagall frowned. "You have really had too many detentions. Yes, my office, eight o'clock." Rose nodded and looked to Scorpius, who looked back at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry," she stage-whispered, "I just got you your second detention. Tomorrow night, eight o'clock."

Scorpius smiled and shrugged.

_Really, detention had not turned out too bad for me so far…_

McGongall's forehead creased as she watched Scorpius and Rose with an expression that seemed to be combination of confusion and wonder. "I didn't realize you two were so… _friendly_ with each other," she said, faltering a bit on the word friendly and regarding them as though they should supply some details.

"Scorpius assisted me to the Hospital Wing yesterday…

_Was it really only yesterday? _

"…and for his troubles we both landed in detention. We talked." Rose shrugged as though to say 'and that was that.' Scorpius just marveled at how collected she sounded, especially in the face of another detention.

_Merlin, how many _has_ this girl had?_

"I see," McGonagall murmured, looking from Rose to Scorpius with an almost tender expression. "Well, I, that is…" she faltered for the second time, shut her eyes, and leaned heavily on her cane.

_How did we not hear her coming when she bangs that thing around all the time?_

"Just go before I come to my senses," she said in apparent exasperation, waving Rose and Scorpius down the hall. "But I shall be checking with the Fat Lady! Don't stay out too late!" she called after them as Rose dragged Scorpius by his hand down the hall.

"I thought she said she'd be escorting us? How did you manage that?" he asked, breathless as they took the corner.

"Me?" Rose turned to face him. "I dunno, she's never done that for me before. I think it was because of you."

Scorpius laughed. "And why would old Minnie want to help me out?"

"Minnie?" Rose snorted and then covered her mouth, her cheeks turning pink. "Maybe she's just an old romantic."

"Who gets her thrills seeing students snog?"

"You're awful," Rose giggled.

"Well?" Scorpius prompted, shrugging his shoulders as though to indicate there could be no other possible answer.

"I dunno, do you want to go back and ask her?" Rose teased, twisting around, his hand still in her grip as she pulled him backwards.

"Not on your life," he answered with a laugh, spinning around and capturing her lips with his. She kissed him back, entwining their fingers.

Scorpius broke them apart after only a few short minutes, though long enough it seemed to leave Rose breathless. He rested his forehead against her for a moment before rolling off to the side and leaning into the cold, stone wall of the seventh floor.

"So what now?" he asked tentatively, already worrying about her answer.

"You mean besides jumping into bed?" He blushed at her cheeky double meaning and cleared his throat. "I'm teasing," she reminded him softly. "I know what you meant."

He nodded beside her, the silence in the hallway becoming overbearingly loud as he waited for her to give any sign of what she wanted.

"What do you want?" she asked in a rush and he started. That wasn't at all how this was supposed to happen.

"Er—"

"I know you're not used to telling people what you want, but in this instance I think—"

"Well, what do you want?" he interrupted her, glancing at her sideways as she leaned near him on the wall, puffing out a small breath of air as she did so.

"I want you to be honest with me for a start!" she bit out, frowning at him as she turned to face him. "And with yourself," she mumbled as an after thought. "But actually, what I really want is just to get to know you better."

"Yeah?" Scorpius asked, not quite meeting her eye for fear of finding out that she was teasing him once more, that he really was just a one off snog she snagged in the hallway for a bit of fun.

"You really think I'm just using you here, don't you?" she asked, and there it was again: the amusement back in her tone.

"No," Scorpius said carefully. "At least I hope not, but I'm just not used to—"

"Well you better get used to it, because if you're going to hang around with me—"

"So, then I will be? Hanging around with you, I mean," Scorpius asked in a rush, daring himself to look her in the eye. She bit her lip as she regarded him.

"Don't you want to?"

_Don't I want to? This girl was daft, mad… Of course I want to, I've never wanted anything as much as I want this, want her. _

"Yes, I want to, very much so." Scorpius spoke with as much care and sincerity as he could, looking Rose right in the eye. She brightened instantly and reached up to peck him on the lips.

"Good," she said, strolling forward and dragging him by the hand. "Now walk me to my dorm, it's getting late."

Scorpius allowed himself to be dragged in a daze as his free hand absently touched his lips, the lips Rose had just kissed.

_Merlin was this detention ever worth it!_

THE END

A/N I've been toying with the idea of making this a novel sized work, as in writing this I really fell in love with Rose's character and see a lot I can do with that. Also, I just love the NextGen, you really can just make everything your own… However, I won't post my pieces until they are complete, and a novel sized work would take some time. So, I'll have to wait and see if the idea fleshes itself out for me or not. As it is, I've completed this story so I thought I'd post for some feedback. I think it can stand pretty well on its' own, no? This story originally came to me as a one-shot and expanded rapidly into the four-chapter story you now have in front of you. Amazing how muses can take hold and grow, isn't it? Hope you all enjoyed! The reviews so far have been just amazing! So supportive! Thank you all! And I would especially like to thank all the readers who came with me from my Victoire/Teddy piece Sometimes It Takes Awhile. Thanks so much for the continued support (Yes, Mousie, this means you!) Cheers!

Ozma333


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